


Kiss Me First

by sterlinglass



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: A little angst, Because Thirst Makes People Sad Sometimes, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Freeform, Humor, Minor Bolin/Opal, Post Turf Wars, Romance, Thirsty Asami
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-18 02:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterlinglass/pseuds/sterlinglass
Summary: Asami's always the one to initiate their kisses. Though Korra always reciprocates, when Bolin points this out, Asami begins to have doubts. What if Korra isn't into kissing her? What if she's just kissing back to be nice and Asami's been letting her thirst run wild? Will Korra allow this doubt to fester, or vanquish it once and for all?





	1. Chapter 1

Asami looked up when she heard Narook’s front door open and smiled happily. Finally.

“Korra, over here!” She waved at Korra from their table.

Korra had been glancing around, looking for Asami, Bolin, and Opal. When Korra heard Asami’s voice, then spotted them, her smile was as infectious as Asami’s, and she approached their table.

Asami stood and pulled Korra into her arms as soon as she was within reach to give her a short, but deep and loving kiss.

When their lips parted, Korra gave Asami a dopey grin. “Um… hi! Wow...”

Asami chuckled. “Hey, you…”

“Hi…” Korra said again, her eyes never straying from Asami’s. She blinked when she heard a snicker.

“Hi, Korra. Nice to see you, too. Glad you could join us. Thank you for coming.”

Asami’s smile widened when Korra finally looked at the rest of the occupants at the table.

“Very funny, Bolin,” she said, punching him on the shoulder. “Hi, Opal.”

Asami settled into her chair, and took Korra’s hand, urging to sit next to her. She frowned when she felt Korra’s resistance.

“I can’t stay,” Korra said, wincing apologetically.

“What? Why?” Asami asked.

“I’m sorry. I tried calling you at work, but your secretary told me you were already on your way here. I figured I’d come and tell you, since it’s on the way to City Hall, instead of standing you up. Tenzin told me I had to go see Raiko. That it couldn’t wait, blah blah blah. I’m already late, but I figured I have some wiggle room since it was all so short notice.”

“Aww, we were looking forward to spending time with you two,” Opal said.

“I know. Me, too…” Korra sighed. “I’ll make it up to you guys, I promise, but I gotta run now.”

“Will I see you tonight?” Asami asked. She narrowed her eyes briefly at Bolin who just barely suppressed another snicker and tried to play it off as a cough.

“Sure!” Korra said. “If Raiko doesn’t take up my whole afternoon, I gotta do a few things, but I can head over afterwards.”

“Great. Should I order you something from here to go, so you can have it tonight?”

“Would you?” Korra begged eagerly as she began reaching into her pockets. “My usual order, please. I’m not going to get the chance to eat until then, so I’ll be starving when I see you.”

“You’re _always_ starving...” Bolin murmured loud enough for Opal to hear and smack his arm playfully.

Asami rolled her eyes at him—she’d heard him, too, but Opal did what she’d envisioned herself doing. She placed her hand on Korra’s forearm, stopping the quest for her wallet. “Don’t worry. I got it. The sooner you get done with Raiko, the sooner I’ll see you.”

Korra grinned, her fingers grazing Asami's cheek tenderly. “Thank you. You’re the best. I’ll see you tonight. Bye, guys!”

And off she went, leaving Asami to sigh. She gazed at the door that Korra disappeared through, and immediately turned her gaze into a glare that she pointed at Bolin when she heard another snicker.

“What?” she asked, her eyebrow quirked in annoyance.

“Man… you are _so_ whipped!” he said through boisterous laughter.

Asami crossed her arms. “I am _not_.”

“Actually…” Opal began, softly... carefully, “you sort of are.”

Asami quirked a brow, the fold of her arms tightening. “How so?”

“Jeez, Asami, have you seen yourself?” Bolin asked, incredulous. “Always thirsting for her—”

“I am _not_ thirsty!”

“You so are. Here, have some tea.” He pushed her teacup closer to her. “This is the first time we’ve seen you in weeks.”

“So? I’ve been busy. Republic City isn’t going to rebuild itself.”

“Even at night?”

“I—”

“Uh-huh, and buying her dinner—”

“She’s the Avatar, and being the Avatar is a full-time job without pay, _and_ I’m rich. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

“Sure, sure. And when she walked in, you didn’t even wait for her to get to the table before you threw yourself at her and kissed the daylights outta her.”

“I did not ‘ _throw_ ’ myself at her!” Asami said defensively. “And we kiss _all_ the time.”

“Yes, but who initiated that kiss?”

Before Asami could respond, Bolin held his hand up. “Who initiates _every_ kiss?”

Again, before Asami could respond, Bolin held his hand up again. “ _Besides_ that one time while fighting Tokuga near the portal.”

“I—...”

“Exactly. _You_ do.” he said. “Every. Single. Time.”

“He does have a point, Asami,” Opal said placatingly, and shrugged when Asami narrowed her eyes. “Sort of…”

Asami leaned back into her chair and took a deep breath. She looked down absently, chin in her hand as she thought long and hard about this. They’d been dating for a few months now, and, as far as she could remember, except for that _one_ time, she _always_ initiated their kisses. Heck, she even initiated their _very first_ kiss in the spirit world. Her shoulders sagged and she looked at Opal and Bolin, feeling both worried and helpless.

Opal immediately reached across the table and took Asami’s hand in reassurance. “Don’t worry, Asami. It’s okay, really! It’s not like she minds. I’m pretty sure she loves the attention. Didn’t you see the way she looked at you after that kiss?”

Asami lips twisted, not convinced. After several moments, she finally said: “Bolin is right, though… I _am_ thirsty.” She covered her face, groaning into her hands. “Ugh, and if someone as oblivious as Bolin noticed, that means _everyone else_ noticed!”

“ _Hey_ …!” Bolin pouted.

Opal chuckled and rubbed Bolin’s arm. “There, there,” she said to him, then turned to Asami. “Asami, it’s okay. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone can blame you. Korra _is_ pretty hot, after all. If I wasn’t as into Bolin as I am, _and_ if she were single, I’d definitely try to tap that, too.”

“ _Heeeeey_!” Bolin’s pout intensified.

Asami snorted at their antics and exhaled. “Well, you aren’t wrong about Korra being attractive. But that’s not the only reason I’m always so eager to kiss her, you know…”

“We know,” Bolin said. “You’re in love with her, and I understand that feeling. I understand being the one who _feels more_ , the one who _loves more_ in a relationship.” He sighed tiredly, and his dramatics weren't lost on Asami. "It's _never_ easy!"

“Cheers to that.” She smiled and lifted her teacup.

Bolin tapped his teacup against Asami’s. “Hear, hear!”

“Heeey…!” This time it was Opal. “I’m _right here_ , Bolin. And I hope you know that I love you very, _very_ much!”

“It’s okay, Babe.” This time Bolin was the one patting her arm charitably. “Asami and I have always bonded over being the emotional saps in Team Avatar. Mako is emotionally constipated, Korra is fierce, but generally pretty normal. I’m the extroverted emotional basket case, and Asami is the introverted emotional basket case. Two sides of the same coin,” he recited poetica.

Asami closed her eyes and nodded sagely, barely containing her grin when Opal scoffed. Despite the hilarity of the situation, she couldn’t deny any of that. Korra wore her heart on her sleeve, true, and, indeed, she was quite intense, but she was laid back and straightforward with her emotions. Asami was guarded and reserved, precisely because she was just as, if not more, intense as Korra, _and_ she craved Korra’s affection. This, among other things she didn’t have the energy to contemplate—though her family history came to mind—made her not just a basket case, but a whirlpool of emotions.

In any case, as far as she was concerned, her wanting to endlessly kiss Korra was a tame reflection of her feelings. Truth be told, even if Asami considered herself a confident woman, she was scared of truly letting go and conveying to Korra—whether physically or verbally—just how much she loved her. Poor thing would probably run away scared, Asami thought to herself. As the Avatar, Korra already had enough on her plate.

Opal scoffed again. “You two are ridiculous. Korra and I love you both, Asami, and Bolin, respectively, just as much as you love us.”

“Eeeh… I dunno…” Bolin hesitated.

Asami had to smile. She knew Bolin was just jerking Opal’s chain at this point, but it was even funnier now because it was Opal’s turn to scowl and fold her arms tightly.

“You know what?” Opal began, “You’re both wrong, and I bet Korra can prove it!”

“Oh?” Asami’s brow quirked with curiosity.

“Yup!” Opal said, looking into Asami’s eyes defiantly. “Tonight, when you two get together, I bet you Korra will kiss you so good, that genius brain of yours won’t even be able to do basic arithmetic for a week!”

Asami laughed outright. “Really…?”

“Yes, _really_ ,” Opal assured.

“Can’t really imagine that happening if Asami gets to her first,” Bolin remarked.

“Shut up, Bolin,” Opal ordered, her eyes never leaving Asami’s. “Tonight, let _her_ be the one to kiss you first. I bet you she will. She’ll look into them pretty eyes, and that perfect hair of yours, and she won’t be able to resist you.”

Asami laughed again. “Uh, okay…?”

“Promise me you’ll let Korra kiss you first.”

“This outta be good,” Bolin mumbled.

“Bolin!” Opal warned.

“Okay, _okay_...” He motioned closing a zipper along his lips.

“Fine,” Asami said, chuckling. “Tonight, I’ll let Korra kiss me first, but if by tomorrow morning I’m still able to do basic arithmetic, I’m blaming you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Air Temple Island. This is Opal speaking.”

“Two plus two equals four.”

“What?! No way!”

Asami sighed into the phone. “Yes way. You’re lucky there wasn’t money involved in this bet of yours. You would’ve lost big.”

“That bad?”

“I guess? I don’t know. It was all so _awkward_. When she got home, she looked dead tired, and she barely touched the noodles I ordered for her. Even Naga looked like she’d been put through the wringer.”

“Sounds like she was so exhausted she had no energy to pay attention to the little things,” Opal speculated. “We all know how hard she works.”

“Yeah… I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

“I hear you. What about this morning?”

“Nothing happened this morning,” Asami responded, rubbing her forehead. She, too, was exhausted, and her day barely started. “I came into the office early, so I left her sleeping. She and Naga were essentially competing on who could bring my walls down with their snoring.”

Opal laughed. “I know what you mean. Bolin’s just as bad!”

“Yeah…” Asami murmured, distracted. A moment of silence went by. She really didn’t know what else to say, and comparing notes on Korra, Naga, and Bolin’s sleeping habits wasn’t exactly in her list of priorities. She finally heard Opal sigh through the line.

“Oh, Asami… last night probably wasn’t a good time to test my theory. Will you see her later today?”

“I’m not sure,” Asami replied. “With how crazy things are, we’ve mostly been playing it by ear for weeks. I, um… I have so much to do today, I don’t even know what time I’ll be able to go home, or _if_ I’ll get to go home. I wanted to talk to you to let you know how last night went.” She paused, turning in her executive chair to look out the window of her office. The morning was warm, beautiful, and bright. Spirits floated and chirped happily by, and it all made her feel a little salty; her mood couldn’t match that level of radiance. “Given it was such a complete failure, it… all kind of got to my head so I barely got any sleep.”

“Well, if she comes to Air Temple Island today, I’ll talk to her and see how she’s doing. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.”

“Thank you, Opal. For everything… and for listening. You’re a good friend.”

“You’re welcome, Asami. Hang in there. This is just a minor hiccup in my master plan. It will all work out. Just you watch!”

Asami laughed softly. “Okay… I’ll take your word for it. Bye, Opal.”

“Bye.”

Asami turned back to her desk and placed the receiver back in its cradle. She sighed yet again, and for the nth time in the past few hours, the scene from last night replayed in her mind.

* * *

  _Asami nearly squealed when she heard the knock at her door. She hurried to open it, but just before she did, she fluffed up her hair just right, because, damn you, Opal!_

_She prepared her most brilliant smile, and opened the door. When she made eye contact with Korra, her smile dimmed._

_Normally, at this point, Asami would reach past the entrance, pull Korra inside, and kiss her silly. Naga would usually follow her companion, and once Asami was done rendering Korra speechless, she would also kiss Naga’s forehead._

_Asami reminded herself she wasn’t supposed to do any of these things, or at least initiate them. Korra’s tired smile discouraged her even further. In fact, the way Korra looked, it seemed that she was barely managing to stay on her feet. Even Naga was beat. The polar bear dog would usually wag her tail incessantly every time she saw Asami, but tonight, she was panting tiredly and provided Asami with a single wag. The thump of her tail against the floor barely echoed throughout the hall. It was downright pitiful._

_Asami frowned. “Korra… are you two okay?”_

_“Tired,” was the brief response. She held Asami’s gaze._

_A few moments of silence, Asami shook her head and moved aside. “I’m sorry. Please, come on in. Let me heat up your noodles; you must be starving.”_

_Maybe it was Asami’s imagination, but she could’ve sworn she saw Korra frown._

_“I am.”_

_Korra stepped in and paused in front of Asami, who, not knowing what to do with herself, rubbed her arm. What a sorry attempt to dissimulate her desperate desire to ignore Opal’s bet. Why did she even agree to such a dumb bet? She should’ve known this would be painful._

_“Um… can I… uh—hey!”_

_Whatever Korra was about to say or do would remain a mystery, for Naga trudged inside clumsily and shoved Korra further into the apartment and away from Asami._

_“Rude!” Korra grumbled accusingly._

_Once the polar bear dog was close enough, she affectionately pressed her massive head against Asami’s torso in her own form of greeting._

_Asami chuckled and ruffled Naga’s floppy ears. How ironic that the Avatar’s very own animal companion had a better instinct about this. “Hi, Naga.” She placed a kiss on her forehead._

_Naga huffed, pleased with the attention she received and then walked past both Korra and Asami. Korra gave her an unimpressed sideways glance when she flopped on the massive doggy bed. Asami bought it when they decided that Korra occasionally spending the night at Asami’s condo would be a thing. There were dog toys strewn about the bed, but Naga ignored them; she was too tired to indulge._

_“She must feel as tired as you look,” Asami remarked, then closed the door. When she turned to face Korra again, she gave her a tentative smile. It wasn’t forced, for Asami was always happy to see Korra, but with the way things were unraveling, something told Asami that forcing her enthusiasm on Korra wasn’t sensible._

_Another strange moment of silence passed before Asami decided this whole situation wasn’t doing either of them any good, so she moved towards the kitchen. “Make yourself at home, take your boots off, and put your feet up,” she encouraged as she pulled the noodles out of her cooler. “I can prepare you a bath if it’ll help you relax after you eat… if you want.”_

_Korra, as it was customary of her when she was uncomfortable, scratched the back of her head. “Um… okay, yeah. Thanks.” She pulled her boots off and headed towards the nearest couch._

_Asami looked on as Korra_ _threw herself_ _on the cushions with as much grace as Naga did on her doggy bed. She wondered if maybe she should talk about her day, or ask Korra about hers and why she was so tired, not just because she was curious—because she was—, but because maybe replacing the silence with some conversation would return some normalcy to the way they were used to interacting on nights like this. But when Asami heard Korra’s deep, tired sigh, she decided against it. Maybe Korra wasn’t in a talking mood. She was being a little hesitant, too, so she must’ve noticed the change in Asami’s behavior. Asami, knowing that it was up to Korra to do something about the change, resigned herself to reheating the noodles._

_Once it was ready, Asami set it on the table and called Korra over, who was nearly passed out at this point. She groaned as she stood from the couch, walked over to Asami’s dining table, and collapsed in the chair before her meal._

_“Smells good,” she commented, and smiled at Asami in appreciation._

_“That’s because I didn’t make it,” Asami joked. Just because things were weird, it didn’t mean she couldn’t try to be funny._

_Korra chuckled, grabbed her chopsticks, and dug in. Asami returned to the kitchen to brew some tea, and a couple of minutes later when she returned to the dining room with a steamy cup, she found Korra with her elbow resting on the table, her cheek on her hand, and her eyes closed. The chopsticks rested precariously at the edge of the noodles bowl. She had dozed off._

_“Oh, Korra…” Asami sighed. She placed the cup of tea near Korra’s noodles, and rubbed her back. “C’mon… let’s get you into bed.”_

_Korra startled into consciousness, and looked around confused. When she made eye contact with Asami she blushed slightly. “Sorry…”_

_Asami shook her head. “No need to be sorry.”_

_“I wanted to spend some time with you tonight before turning in, but I don’t think I’m any use to you like this,” Korra admitted, quite dejectedly._

_Asami helped Korra stand—not that Korra needed the help, but Asami felt it was imperative to keep herself distracted from the way her expectations were not being met._

_“Don’t worry about it, honestly. What you need is rest. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to do that later.”_

_“I should shower…” Korra murmured offhandedly while Asami led her to the bedroom._

_Asami smiled. “Ideally, yes, but I’m afraid you’d collapse in there and hurt yourself. Tomorrow.”_

_“I stink,” Korra insisted while yawning wide and gracelessly._

_Asami giggled. “You’ve smelled worse in the past. This is just the scent of dried sweat and a hard day of work. I’ll survive.”_

_“Can’t say I didn’t warn you…”_

_Once in the bedroom, Asami rummaged through her drawers and pulled a tanktop and a pair of shorts for Korra. Korra, already out of her pelt and clothes, took them with a smile and put them on. Asami tried not to stare too blatantly and turned to the bed to pull the duvet away. She was barely done doing so when Korra threw herself on the bed like a sack of potatoes. Asami couldn’t help the soft giggle that escaped her._

_“Good night, Korra.” She leaned over to cover Korra with the duvet, stopped herself from giving her a good night kiss, and right when she was about to straighten, Korra’s hand shot from under the covers and snatched Asami’s._

_Asami paused and gazed into Korra’s eyes. There was desire in those blue pools of hers, despite the sleepiness. Asami waited, eager and hopeful, but maybe she waited too long. Korra released Asami’s hand reluctantly, yawned once more and burrowed her face into her pillow._

_“Good night, Asami...” she mumbled._

_Asami’s lips tugged morosely and she straightened. “Sleep well.”_

_She returned to the dining room to put away the noodles. After she placed them back in the cooler, she sighed, pressed her forehead against its door, and closed her eyes._

_She needed a drink. Gin and tonic might do the trick._

* * *

Asami sighed deeply and took a sip of the tea her assistant brewed for her moments ago. She had been so deep in thought she hadn’t even heard the assistant come in, and only noticed when the teacup was placed in front of her. The most destructive part of her wished she brought a flask of fire whiskey so she could spike the tea, but she shook her head. It wasn’t even nine o’clock. Alcohol and sleep deprivation never mixed well.

But who was she kidding? At the rate she was going, she wasn’t going to get anything done with Korra’s inaction last night monopolizing her thoughts. She already spent all night marinating over every alternate scenario of how her kissless night could’ve turned out—what she could’ve done, what she didn’t do, what Korra would’ve done had Naga not gotten in the way, what could’ve happened if Korra hadn’t been so tired, and so on. None of it did Asami any good. Thus, she decided, if she wasn’t going to be able to focus on paperwork, she wasn’t going to give herself the opportunity to dwell on all this drama.

And since she couldn’t exactly drink, maybe a walk through one of her factories would prove to be the kind of distraction she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... before you ask, no, Asami doesn't have a drinking problem. I headcanon that she does like a drink when she's stressed, but it's not "alcoholic" level dependency. 
> 
> Anyway, I had considered writing this from Korra's POV only and moving the story along, but I honestly cannot resist writing Thirsty Asami™. I'm still writing Korra's POV of this wretched night, though, so do not despair. In fact, it shan't be anywhere near as angsty Asami's so I'm looking forward to bringing on the lulz. This is a fluff/humor story, dammit! I don't know why this turned out so angsty--I hate angst, but that's what happens when you write freeform. Oh, well.


End file.
